Awaiti is a rural community in the
Hauraki District
Hauraki District is a territorial authority within the Hauraki region of New Zealand. The seat of the council is at Paeroa.
The area covered by the district extends from the southwest coast of the Firth of Thames southeast towards Te Aroha, alth ...
and
Waikato
Waikato () is a Regions of New Zealand, local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton City ...
region of New Zealand's
North Island
The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...
, west of
Paeroa
Paeroa is a town in the Hauraki District of the Waikato Region in the North Island of New Zealand. Located at the base of the Coromandel Peninsula, it is close to the junction of the Waihou River and Ohinemuri River, and is approximately 20 kilo ...
.
''Awaiti'' is a
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...
word, meaning "little stream".
Geography
The area is predominantly farmland.
Two canals, Awaiti and Bancrofts, drain from the Kopuatai Peat Dome and surrounding farmland into Tee Head Canal in the
Piako River
The Piako River is a lowland river system that drains into the Firth of Thames on the North Island of New Zealand. Together with the Waihou River, it is one of the two main rivers systems which drains the Hauraki Plains. It is the dominant river ...
system. The canals have low biodiversity, with a small population of fish which can tolerate the low-quality water.
History
Early history
Awaiti is in the ''
rohe
The Māori people of New Zealand use the word ''rohe'' to describe the territory or boundaries of ''iwi'' (tribes), although some divide their rohe into several ''takiwā''.
The areas shown on the map (right) are indicative only, and some iwi ...
'' (traditional tribal area) of the
Ngāti Tamaterā
Ngāti Tamaterā is a Māori '' iwi'' (tribe) of the Hauraki region of New Zealand, descended from Tamaterā, the second son of Marutūāhu. It is a major tribe within the Marutūāhu confederation and its leaders have been prominent in Hauraki ...
people.
There were previously two ''
pā'' (defensive settlements) in the area; one became a ''
tapū'' (sacred) burial ground.
Europeans began cattle farming in Awaiti in the late 19th century. In the 1890s, it was a place of "mud and wet and cows" which was only accessible by the river. Ngāti Tamaterā farmed battering pigs and horses.
At the turn of the century, local Māori and Pākehā regularly gathered for social events, including a New Year's Eve sports day.
Modern history
Following the end of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
in 1918, six returned servicemen settled farms in the area.
By the 1970s, the area had sealed roads, electricity, and tanker milk delivery to a dairy factory.
There was a small scrub fire in the area in late December 2020.
It may have been caused by lightning from a thunder storm passing the area at the time.
References
{{coord, -37.4071976, 175.56893, display=title, region:NZ_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki
Hauraki District
Populated places in Waikato